Study on the microstructural evolution and photocatalytic mechanism of (Au)/PCN photocatalyst

Abstract

In this paper, the microstructure evolution of polymeric carbon nitride was investigated and Au ions was used to improve its photocatalytic efficiency. Their structures were investigated by FT-IR, XPS, XRD, SEM and TEM. Their specific surface area and aperture distribution were measured by BET. Meanwhile, the energy band structure and electron-hole separation efficiency were analyzed by UV–Vis and PL spectroscopy. In addition, the photocatalytic performance of the photocatalysts was assessed by photocatalytic degradation of RhB and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The results showed that 600-PCN possessed the best photocatalytic performance, with a degradation rate of 46.92 % in 150 min. What's more, the degradation rate of RhB solution by 2 % Au/PCN reached 47.88 %, which was 2.17 times higher than that of 550-PCN (22.01 %). During the degradation process, h+ oxidatively degrade RhB. The hydrogen production rate of 2 % Au/PCN was about 11.658 μmol/g/h, which was 41.23 times higher than that of 550-PCN (0.282 μmol/g/h).